Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Former President Donald Trump\u2019s campaign is inviting prominent outside groups to a private meeting next week in Palm Beach, Florida, to talk about working together and planning for the election.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the Trump campaign sent a letter to pro-Trump, external organizations asking them to attend an \u201centirely off-the-record, private,\u201d and \u201cinvite-only\u201d meeting with senior campaign officials, according to a copy of the letter obtained by POLITICO. The sit-down, which the letter describes as a \u201cmeeting of the political minds,\u201d is aimed at discussing \u201ccollaborat[ion]\u201d and \u201cpriorities and plans\u201d for the general election.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease know that your attendance is considered critical, and your effort to be there would be greatly appreciated,\u201d reads the letter, which was written by James Blair, the Trump campaign\u2019s political director.<\/p>\n
By holding the meeting, the Trump operation and the third-party entities could conceivably get on the same page about their plans. Two people familiar with the planning for the event said Heritage Action and Turning Point Action were among the pro-Trump groups invited.<\/p>\n
A Trump campaign representative declined to comment on the letter.<\/p>\n
The decision to hold the meeting, which is set for the afternoon of May 3, illustrates how the campaign plans to utilize the support of outside organizations. With President Joe Biden\u2019s campaign having a four-year head start in field deployment and voter contact efforts, the Trump campaign is racing to play catch-up.<\/p>\n
Trump is also at a substantial cash disadvantage: According to the most recent campaign finance reports<\/a>, he has $93 million on hand, less than half as much as Biden.<\/p>\n The former president\u2019s campaign the same weekend is also hosting a three-day donor retreat<\/a> in Palm Beach. Trump and more than a dozen other prominent Republican officeholders, including several possible vice presidential contenders, are expected to attend.<\/p>\n There have long been tight restrictions on how federal campaigns and political committees can coordinate. But a recent Federal Election Commission advisory opinion<\/a>, dated March 20, relaxed limitations on how they can collaborate on paid door-knocking efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will share our macro view of the electorate with you and discuss new opportunities (in light of a recent FEC ruling) for our organizations to collaborate more effectively than we have been able to in the past,\u201d according to the invitation. \u201cWe also ask you to come prepared to share any information you legally can about your priorities and plans with us.\u201d<\/p>\n The letter indicates that Trump campaign officials and outside groups will be treading carefully legally during the meeting. It notes that Republican National Committee chief counsel Charlie Spies and Trump campaign counsel Dave Warrington \u201cwill oversee this meeting to ensure legal compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump officials appear to be placing a premium on the new FEC decision. Last week, Blair spoke before a meeting of the Rockbridge Network<\/a>, a secretive gathering of conservative donors. During his remarks, Blair alluded to the advisory opinion, which he described as a game-changer, according to two people familiar with the remarks who were granted anonymity to discuss the matter.<\/p>\n